Anne Sofie von Otter

VON OTTER Watercolours 4747002

Von Otter and Forsberg always come up with something new and unexpected.

Concert Review /
Hilary Finch,
The Times (London) / 07. April 2004

Von Otter and Forsberg are in their element . . . Another hit from the outstanding art-song partnership.

Record Review /
The Sunday Times (London) / 18. January 2004

A glorious and treasurable issue.

Record Review /
Robert Layton,
International Record Review (London) / 01. February 2004

The clever title of von Otter's disc is "Watercolors", which captures exactly the favoured terrain of the songs -- dazzling sky and sea, merged by the wash of light -- and the bleached tonality of her voice . . . her sound is haunted by an undertone of darkness; a guttural catch in the voice further down allows her to plummet from jubilation to melancholy.

Record Review /
Peter Conrad,
New Statesman / 23. February 2004

. . . she puts that mellow instrument to better use than ever, with exquisite taste and real feeling. Plus, her partnership with Forsberg makes for one of the great teams in contemporary music. This is a special recital, very much of a piece, and holds appeal for lovers of Schubert and Sibelius alike.

Von Otter has surely come up with another winner and lovers of the song repertoire will thank her for bringing to notice little-heard composers like Gunnar de Frumerie and Linde. The gentle nordic melancholy of this music lingers well after the final track has played. (CD of the month)

If anyone can make a convincing case for the unknown world of Swedish song, surely it is Swedish superstar Anne Sofie von Otter: her voice sounds more lustrous than ever, her interpretative powers feel honed and muscular, and there is not a hint of strain anywhere . . . Forsberg's piano playing is exquisite -- he can conjure up the sound of icicles thawing or fresh ocean breezes.

Sweden's own national vocal treasure, Anne Sofie von Otter . . . For all the sincere emotion, the recital is too absorbing to provoke gloom and doom, and there is enough musical and expressive variety here to cheer the heart, with von Otter and Forsberg proving enlightening guides through the Nordic landscapes of the mind.

. . . it is as wonderful as the first disc . . . von Otter has chosen well . . . I cannot imagine better performances. Von Otter's vocalism is matched by her deep identification with these songs; their language is her language, and the communication to us is complete. Forsberg is the perfect partner for her in this music, playing not only with sensitivity to her approach, but with his won ideas about the music that work in tandem with her. DG's balances and perspective are completely natural, and the notes are also superb . . . I would recommend seeking out this superb vocal recital ¿ one of the most compelling such CDs I've encountered in a long time.